Canary Wharf celebrates 30 years on the up

Margaret Thatcher, then prime minister, is shown a model of the proposed development at Canary Wharf by Paul Reichmann, head of the developers Olympia & York in 1988Press Association Archive

When the redevelopment of London’s semi-desolate former docklands on the Isle of Dogs started in the late 1980s, there were plenty of sceptics. Many believed the thriving business and financial hub talked up by admirers of Margaret Thatcher and property developers would never happen.

Figures published by the economics consultancy CEBR to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Canary Wharf show the startling success of the scheme. With 120,000 jobs, Canary Wharf has become the largest single centre of employment in the UK, with one and a half times the number of workers at Heathrow airport.

Sir George Iacobescu, chairman and chief executive of Canary Wharf Group, said: “I am incredibly proud of what Canary Wharf has become. Our ambition was to transform a declining docklands…